MILRITE ACT (ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SYSTEM)
Act of Jul. 1, 1978, P.L. 584, No. 109
AN ACT
Cl. 12
Establishing an agency to create the linkage necessary for
the planning of an economic development system for
Pennsylvania, and making an appropriation.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
Section
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Short title.
Definitions.
Legislative purpose.
Creation of council.
Appointment of members, terms, qualifications
and removal.
6. Powers and duties of council.
6.1. Area labor management committees.
7. Limited duration.
8. Appropriation.
9. Effective date.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Milrite
Act."
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the
meanings given to them in this section:
"Area labor management committee." An organization formed
by and composed of multiple employers of diverse industries
and multiple labor organizations, as defined in section 2(5)
of the National Labor Relations Act (49 Stat. 449, 29 U.S.C. §
151 et seq.), operating within or focusing upon city, county
or contiguous multicounty jurisdictions for the purposes of:
(1) Improving communications between labor and
management.
(2) Providing a forum to discuss and investigate ways
to further the goals of increased quality of work life and
increased productivity.
(3) Discovering ways to improve organizational
effectiveness.
(4) Finding solutions to problems of mutual concern to
both labor and management not susceptible to resolution
within the collective bargaining structure.
(5) Enhancing economic development within the
jurisdiction through labor management cooperation.
(Def. added May 31, 1984, P.L.378, No.77)
"Council." The milrite agency established by this act.
"Milrite." The acronym formed from the words: "Make
Industry and Labor Right in Today's Economy."
Section 3. Legislative purpose.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has served as the keystone
in establishing and advancing basic industrial manufacturing
in the United States. Today it faces a loss of confidence
among key segments of the general public, business and labor
communities. It now faces the loss of critical industries and
a willing, able and well qualified work force. The development
and stability of Pennsylvania's economy is a legitimate public
purpose. The Commonwealth cannot remain healthy, socially or
economically, when its industrial might and natural resources
are underdeveloped and when its people are chronically
unemployed or underemployed. There is need for an organization
evolving cooperative innovative economic stimuli from the
public, private and labor sectors. It should combine the
expertise and influence of labor and business with
governmental policy makers to act as a catalytic force to
create a comprehensive economic development plan and program
for implementation of specific development objectives.
Aware of the economic and sociological consequences of
industrial dislocation the General Assembly calls upon
business and labor by enacting an independent labor, business
and governmental council to act as a catalytic agent to reduce
the fragmentation of our resources and to establish the
linkages necessary for a successful planning and economic
development delivery system. It shall have the capability to
create strategy and implementing machinery to maintain
Pennsylvania as a leading industrial State.
Section 4. Creation of council.
There is hereby created a quasi-public, independent,
economic development agency to be known as the Milrite
Council.
Section 5. Appointment of members, terms, qualifications and
removal.
(a) The council shall consist of 15 members appointed by
the Governor. They shall include one member selected by the
Governor, two members selected by the President pro tempore of
the Senate, two members selected by the Speaker of the House
of Representatives, and five members each from lists provided
by the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and the Pennsylvania Chamber of
Commerce. The two members selected for appointment by the
President pro tempore of the Senate and the two members
selected for appointment by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives shall be members of the majority and minority
parties in each body.
(b) The member selected by the Governor, two members
selected by the General Assembly, and two members each from
the lists submitted by the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and
Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce, shall serve for three years,
and three members selected from the lists submitted by the
Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce
shall serve for six years and two members selected by the
General Assembly shall serve for six years. Thereafter all
members shall be appointed for a term of six years or until a
successor is appointed and qualified. Members shall be
eligible for unlimited reappointment.
(c) The members of the council shall be selected from
outstanding leaders in business, and labor who are the policymaking and policy-implementing executives of their respective
unions and companies.
(d) Members of the council shall receive no compensation
but shall be entitled to receive an allowance for expenses
incurred in the performance of their duties.
(e) The council shall elect one of the nongovernmental
members as chairman, who, when present, shall preside at
meetings. The council shall also elect one of its members to
serve as an alternate chairman to preside when the regular
chairman is absent. The chairman and vice chairman shall be
elected by the council members for a three-year term.
Candidates shall be limited to members representing the labor
and business groups. The chairmanship shall be occupied by a
member representing one group and the vice chairmanship
occupied by a member representing the other group. The council
shall designate the officials, committees and subcommittees it
deems necessary to carry out the intent of this act.
(f) An action or order of the council shall require eight
affirmative votes.
Section 6. Powers and duties of council.
(1) Undertake research and investigation relating to
the promotion of the industrial potential of Pennsylvania.
(2) Create plans for economic revitalization of
Commonwealth industries.
(3) Recommend implementation procedures for all plans,
maximizing existing mechanisms with proven ability to
accomplish tasks, linkages among current programs,
business, labor and government insights into practicality
and workability of suggested approaches.
(4) Encourage and stimulate cooperation and
coordination among Federal, State and local programs.
(5) Recommend structural changes and updating of
economic delivery tools of State Government to the Governor
and General Assembly.
(6) Draw upon labor, management and government
participants to promulgate plans and implement procedures.
(7) Recommend organizational structure and
participants particularly suited to local needs and
conditions.
(8) Undertake research, including the hiring of
consultants, into the cost of doing business in this
Commonwealth, including recommendations for changes and
estimates of future costs, with comparative analysis of
both intrastate and interstate costs.
(9) Undertake research, including the hiring of
consultants, to determine if the Commonwealth can more
effectively use its mediation services to discourage and
shorten the duration of labor management disputes.
(10) The council shall have the power to:
(i) Enter into contracts.
(ii) Appoint, fix compensation of, and prescribe
duties of an executive director, secretary and such
other personnel as the council deems necessary to
accomplish the purposes of this act.
(iii) Retain counsel.
(iv) Accept grants from public and private
sources.
(v) Borrow money and issue obligations, secured
or unsecured, to acquire, hold, own and pledge or
dispose of funds, money, securities and other
property, real or personal, tangible or intangible to
the extent necessary to carry out the purposes of this
act.
(vi) Adopt and promulgate rules and regulations
necessary to accomplish the provisions of this act.
Agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide their full
cooperation to research conducted by the council, including,
but not limited to, the provision of information necessary for
conducting research under paragraphs (8) and (9).
(6 amended July 9, 1986, P.L.1207, No.104)
Section 6.1. Area labor management committees.
(a) The council shall establish standards and criteria for
the selection of area labor management committees to be
assisted by grants under subsection (c), solicit proposals
from area labor management committees, review and evaluate the
relative merits of such proposals and select those proposals
for funding which would best meet the standards and criteria
established by the council.
(b) The council may use a reasonable amount of any
appropriation for grants to area labor management committees
to hire staff and provide support for area labor management
committees and for carrying out the purposes specified in
subsection (a). Funds shall be used for staff and other
expenses necessary to perform outreach functions to those
areas of the Commonwealth not served by area labor management
committees.
(c) The council shall designate the area labor management
committees which are entitled to receive grants pursuant to
subsection (a). Funds appropriated to the Milrite Council for
grants to area labor management committees shall be made to
those committees, in amounts and under conditions specified by
the council, and under the following conditions:
(1) The grant shall be matched with as much non-State
funds as possible, within the overall goal of attempting to
establish and maintain as many area labor management
committees as possible.
(2) While the highest priority for these funds shall
be for the establishment of new area labor management
committees, the council shall make use of the money
available to it for the grants to ensure the continued
existence and expansion of existing area labor management
committees, including the provisions of technical
assistance and nonmatching grants.
((c) amended July 9, 1987, P.L.206, No.31)
(d) The council shall report annually to the chairman and
minority chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations,
the chairman and minority chairman of the House Committee on
Appropriations, the chairman and minority chairman of the
Senate Committee on Labor and Industry and the chairman and
minority chairman of the House Committee on Labor Relations,
the accomplishments and specific expenditures of each area
labor management committee funded under subsections (a) and
(c) including, but not limited to, salaries, rent, contracts
and other operational costs.
(6.1 amended July 9, 1986, P.L.1207, No.104)
Section 7. Limited duration.
The council shall continue with its statutory function and
duties until December 31, 1994, when it shall terminate and go
out of existence unless reestablished or continued by the
General Assembly. Evaluation, review, termination,
reestablishment and continuation of the agency shall be
conducted pursuant to the provisions of the act of December
22, 1981 (P.L.508, No.142), known as the "Sunset Act."
(7 amended June 22, 1990, P.L.240, No.55)
Section 8. Appropriation.
The sum of $200,000, or as much thereof as may be
necessary, is specifically appropriated to the council for the
fiscal year July 1, 1978 to June 30, 1979 for the purpose of
carrying out the provisions of this act.
Section 9. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.